Sharon lives in Chiga, a rural area in Kisumu County, Kenya. Commonly referred to as the “Sugar Belt,” the majority of Chiga's population predominantly relies on their sugar cane plantations for a living.
Kisumu County has a population of 1,118,000 (KDS 2018) and has some of the highest rates of HIV prevalence in Kenya. According to the Kenya HIV Estimates 2015, HIV prevalence in Kisumu is 3.4 times higher than the national prevalence at 19.9 percent.
Women in the county are at greater risk of HIV infection than men: the HIV prevalence among women is 21.2 percent compared to 18.3 percent among men.
Sharon lost both her parents at an early age. Despite this, she successfully completed her high school education but was unable to afford her college fees.
When Sharon was 20 she married and had a baby. To provide for her baby, she did household chores for neighbors.
Sharon joined a DREAMS ICT and media training project, where she was learned how to develop and use media content for community advocacy and engagement.
She is currently employed at a non-profit organization in their community outreach department working with young women and men on public health issues.
“From washing clothes and dishes for a living to doing media advocacy work with a leading non-profit organization, DREAMS has transformed me into a salaried, well-respected, and confident young woman.”
Sharon
Girls with DREAMS
This profile is taken from the PEPFAR Kenya “Our Lens Sauti Zetu (Our Voices)” photo book — a compilation of images captured by DREAMS girls highlighting their own stories.
The following DREAMS girls were the eyes behind the lens and beautifully captured the stories of the young women featured in the project: Dorcas Akinyi Onyango, Agnes Wanjiru Mugure, Flovian Atieno, Faith Akumu, Francisca Ndinda, Effie Awino, Fatuma Lando, Dorothy Oyuga, Linet Odira, Hellen Atieno.
Text and images from “Our Lens Sauti Zetu (Our Voices)” are used with permission from PEPFAR Kenya. Learn more about Girls with DREAMS.